Help!

[Chas321]

I have just been told I am pre-diabetes! My reading is 42 mmol ! I am a bit shocked. Can anyone tell me if I can reverse this please and what I need to do? I haven’t spoken to nurse yet but wanted to get a bit ahead of the game. Thank you.

[PurpleNails]

Hope your nurse offers you lots of advice.

42 - HbA1c puts you just in the prediabetes range and you can improve this.

* HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6.0%): Non-diabetic

* HbA1c between 42 and 47 mmol/mol (6.0–6.4%): Impaired glucose regulation (IGR) or Prediabetes

* HbA1c of 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) or over: Type 2 diabetes

I wasn’t told when I had a result of 41. 2 years later it was 51.

I wasn’t offered much help was just told to “reduce carbs” and that was it.

So I read up & learnt what works best to suit me.

In short restrict high carb foods:

Dairy Milk, yogurt, and ice cream

Whole fruit and fruit juice (berries are better)

Grains, Bread, rice, crackers, and cereal (I sometimes have oats no sugar type)

Legumes Beans and other plant-based proteins

Starchy Vegetables, Potatoes and corn (plenty of alternatives)

Sugary Sweets - Avoid these!

NO Soda, candy, cookies, desserts

This is what I would do

Make sure I had portion of Milk or yogurt each day,

berries are better than other whole fruit, NO juice.

2x a week small amount of oats but no Bread, rice, or cereal.

Low amount of Legumes Beans and other plant-based proteins

Lots of salad & Vegetables, but no Potatoes or corn

1 small piece of chocolate most days as treat but no cakes biscuits & desserts

Small portion or nuts every day, eg 3 Brazil’s or 5 almonds.

Might be harder on a vegetarian diet as have a fair amount of meat, fish and an egg most days.

I used an app to track my carbs, doing that really gets you to understand where you are consuming carb & getting carbs you weren’t aware of.

Most apps will calculate a calorie count based on current weight / height and weight loss aim, but the minimum calories is 1000. I did around 1200 per day & 80 grams of carb of day. Which is moderately low rather than Keto type low.

As I had to get used to using app and what foods were best so it was gradual at first.

I started walking more, raising activity levels is pretty key too.

I lost weight which I need to and within 6 months my HbA1c was 35.

[Chas321 in reply to PurpleNails]

Thank you so much for the advice Purple. I do need to lose some weight, I have developed the dreaded male gut since lockdown and I have no reservations that this is the cause of the pre-diabetic state I am in. I was eating what I want when I want so now this must change! I’ll see what the nurse says as well 😀